Session 2:Using IT-supported language arts resources for the interactive learning and teaching of English

Looking at the English Language beyond the "instrumental" purposes: focusing on the range of aesthetic experiences and entertainment aspects of this medium. e.g. The ability to read for pleasure, to understand films, dramatic presentations, radio and TV programmes.

Language Arts forms can be found in:

Fiction (Literature), Drama, Poetry, Songs, Rhymes, Creative writing (Stories), Prose, Jokes, Language Games, etc. Experiences and activities connected to these art forms can enhance the ability to appreciate, create and further research into the culture of the ENglish Language.

Language arts activities can be introduced to students at a very early age

Nursery rhymes, songs, poems, graded reading, story telling, drama, musicals, and films. With the advantage of modern technology and the convenience of integrating attractive graphics (e.g. cartoon presentations) and multimedia experience, such art forms can be enjoyed to an even greater extent.

Workshop:

2.1.1 All participants try to go online and find some songs that are good for learning English, e.g. some "Oldies", scout songs, kiddies songs with music. Look for files in MIDI or MP3 format, try downloading for class use. Be careful, the files might be covered by Copyright protections. (MP3 is a performance recording, MIDI is like a digital music score.) Can also be used for Campus Broadcast programmes e.g. Songs dedication
Ref: ELT Sites

2.2 Introducing different types of IT-supported language arts resources, including educational software and materials on the Internet

Discussion:Different kinds of Language arts resources:

Language arts IT resources cover a variety of content presented in different forms. They include, for example, poems, rhymes, prose, stories, drama, speech, debates, biographies and song lyrics, etc.

Criteria for selecting appropriate Language Art resources:
Some of the advantages of using IT-supported resources, especially in relation to language arts areas, are:

Ensuring a good standard of delivery of primary information to students. For example, in retelling stories, reciting poems and rhymes, there is a need to make sure that the original reading is of a high enough standard for students to learn from.

They are sometimes more attractive to students than the presentation by teachers. Some of these resources are produced for interactive learning. Or at least, the audio / visual effects are helpful in drawing attention of the students.

The effect of presentation of many forms of language arts materials, like songs, drama and speeches, can be enhanced if they are read, played or acted by professionals. Resources delivered by IT devices are helpful in this sense.

Note that IT-supported resources cannot work effectively on their own. They must be aided by teachers, with them as facilitators, promoters, supporters, monitors and evaluators, etc.

Thus, choosing appropriate IT-supported language resources is very important for teachers. The points above are a good reference for choosing IT based resources.

Types of IT devices:
There are lots of such resources in the market, and in resource libraries that we can use. They include:

Audio: CD, cassette tape

Video: VCD, DVD

Interactive: CD-ROM

Online: many types of resouces, both free and charged.

Workshop:

How to find these resources?
Ask participants to share (very briefly) what they are using in their teaching practice. The instructor records good resources on the whiteboard for participants to copy if necessary.

What is the difference between search in this way and from the library catalogue system?
(From the library catalogue system, we can have detailed information about the resources, including the loan status, whereas the database system only provide the name of the resources.)

Participants choose ONE IT-supported language art resource from the public resources catalogue and shares with the class. If all the participants are very familiar with using the HK Public Libraries website, this can be skipped.

The site is useful because all the resources can be obtained without copyright concerns and the format is simple and useful.

Appendix: A list of poems, rhymes and prose for youngsters at HK Public Libraries.

Try Google, www.google.com/
What are your search terms?
For example, <children rhymes>, <children song>, <children short story> (Young learners...)
However, poorly selected search terms can result in too many links, few of them actually useful, wasting a lot of time for little reward.

Some techniques for searching on the Internet:

Understand the search engine you are using. Each search engine has its' own language for defining searches.

Use Boolean logic to narrow down the search

a AND b Results must have both a and b. Default setting on Google.

a OR b Results must have one or more of a or b. OR on Google.

NOT Results without the term. - on Google.

Use other available features. Examples from Google:

+ Google excludes common words (e.g. where, how) by default, prefacing a word with '+' forces it to be included.

" " Surrounding several words with quotes does a search for the exact phrase.

related: Finds pages that are similar to the specified page.

Try the Advanced search options

Workshop:
Try searching for <children rhymes>, <children song>, <childrenshort story> again, but use the techniques to narrowing down the search.

Participants are now introduced to a convenient web site for children, where they will find writings and pictures in journalistic style particularly for kids.
The web site is http://www.yahooligans.com/
Try this one. Go wherever you like.
What do you find? (Class report)
Jokes, news, music...

For all on-line resources, take care not to infringe the copyright. Other than this, you can use them freely.

Concluding remarks:

know your criteria of selecting resources

know the types of resource you are going to find

know where you can find those resources

2.3 Using and adapting IT supported language arts resources for the enhancement of language learning, the promotion of communication skills, critical thinking skills and creativity and discussing ways of integrating them in the school curriculum

With reference to the English Language Education KLA Curriculum Guide (2002), "increasing motivation" is discussed under the short-term strategies for development (1.4.1). Increasing motivation is very important because language learning is often seen as "boring", and thus engaging students' interest is essential to achieving a good learning effect.

The Curriculum Guide suggested some ways of increasing motivation. Those relevant to IT supported learning are:
- the use of IT (e.g. writing e-greeting cards, interactive story-reading and games) for both junior primary and senior primary school students, teachers may create more opportunities for them to use IT in language communication. Sending e-greeting cards, making small jokes on a school web, uploading a class picture with caption on the web, etc. can be very interesting.

Workshop:
1. Use E-cards as a means to deliver a poem (suitable for KS1 and KS2)
Check if the participants would like to try sending an e-greeting card. Tutor briefly demonstrates. The message in the card can be language items that students can explore.
e.g. For Birthdays, Christmas, Invitation to a party, Thank you, Chinese New Year, Congratulations, Father's Day, Mother's Day...

Promoting Communication Skills

Discussion
Instructors refer to the Curriculum Guide and highlight the key recommendations.

Briefly discuss themeaning of communication skills, the descriptors of expected achievements across the school curriculum and exemplars of implementation in English Language Education with the participants.

In this session, instructors will demonstrate how to use IT supported language arts resources to promote the learning of communication skills, referring to some of the key points raised in the curriculum guide as examples.

For Junior Primary students:

The Curriculum Guide recommends that students should be able to interact with teacher and classmates in classroom situation and activities.

In adopting IT, teachers can constantly use simple instructions to guide students to operate the IT device (e.g. turn on / turn off, etc.).

Possible activities:

After reading an electronic book, transform the plot into a playscript and role-play with the class. Skills and techniques can take reference from: <Let's Experience and Appreciate Drama, Resource Package Series (Primary) Volume 6, 2002 English Section CDI, ED, HKSAR>

The Curriculum Guide recommends that students should be able to converse about feelings, interests, experience and ideas on familiar topics.

Teachers may show (e.g.) news pictures on internet and ask students to express their feelings. (Some expressive words / language need to be taught beforehand.

Can introduce Smileys which is trendy for IT users in this internet era:

The Curriculum Guide recommends that students may use short notes and short personal letters to exchange information with other on a wider range of familiar topics. This time, we try using letters to communicate.

Possible activity:
Students use email or a word processor to write a letter. The letter should have a purpose, e.g. invitation to a party, a letter to the SCMP Young Post editor.

Supplementary Notes: Netiquette to aid communication:

DON'T CAPITALISE EVERYTHING: It looks like you are shouting and it is difficult to read. Save this technique for stressing important points.

Spelling and grammar: Double check before sending, but be tolerant of other's errors.

Length: Aways be concise. Avoid quoting long texts from other people just to say that you agree with them. Shorten your signature file to no more than four lines.

Multiple recipients: Can be considered abusive if used too much. Avoid cross-posting (sending duplicate messages to various mailing lists and newsgroups) as it can be very annoying for members of those groups. Don't spam! (mass mailings of unsolicited material)

Smileys can help to better communicate emotions.

Avoid flaming (sharp criticism)

Promoting Critical Thinking Skills

Instructors refer to the Curriculum Guide and highlight the key recommendations.

Discuss briefly with the participants the meaning of critical thinking skills, the descriptors of expected achievements across the school curriculum and exemplars of implementation in English Language Education.

In this session, instructors will demonstrate how to use IT supported language arts resources to promote the learning of critical thinking skills, referring to some of the key points raised in the curriculum guide as examples.

The Curriculum Guide recommends that students should be able to understand cause-and-effect relationships conveyed in simple texts. Teachers can use appropriate stories chosen from CD-ROM / VCD learning materials for this purpose.
[Instructors demonstrate one such story in the class]

Alternatively, teachers may use resources from the web.
Here we introduce two websites for your use:

The Internet Public Library created by the University of Michigan.
Go to http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/storyhour/ Select Kid Space >> Story Hour. There you will find on-line stories in text-only or illustrated form. (Last visited on 12 Aug. 03)

The Curriculum Guide recommends that students should be able to understand different versions (spoken or written) of a news story, identify main ideas, decide on relevance, distinguish fact and opinion, compare and connect ideas to find similarities and differences and re-construct the event or form views about its cause, etc.

In using this website, teachers should visit it first. Choose a good news story. Design discussion guideline and questions for classroom use before meeting the students.

We can also try the following website:http://abcnews.go.com/abcnews4kids/kids/ (Last visited on 12 Aug. 03)
This American Broadcast Company web for kid only contains a few stories but they are illustrated with very nice animations. Very interesting! Do try.

Promoting Creativity

Instructors refer to the Curriculum Guide and highlight the key recommendations.

Briefly discuss with the participants the meaning of creativity, the descriptors of expected achievements across the school curriculum and exemplars of implementation in English Language Education.

In this session, instructors will demonstrate how to use IT supported language arts resources to promote the learning of creativity, referring to some of the key points raised in the curriculum guide as examples.

The Curriculum Guide recommends that students are expected to strengthen their creative abilities through reading and listening to a broad range of imaginative texts including poems, novels, short stories, plays, films, jokes, etc. and demonstrate sensitivity in their critical appreciation of these texts.

In the world of Internet information, there is a wide variety of good resources that are related to language arts for enhancing students' creativity.

For example, teachers may guide students (senior primary students) to look for interesting jokes - at the same time true stories - from the internet.

Questions to ask and for discussion include -

Where do you find the joke?

Why is it interesting?

Imagine the situation happening on you or someone you known: How would you prevent it? How to stop it from getting worse? What kind of people may easily face such asituation? (Depends on the content of the story...)

One such convenient site that contain these stories / jokes is Yahoo.
Go to http://www.yahoo.com/
Select <News>
Select <Oddly Enough>

Filling in Dialogue Bubbles for comics, writing up captions for photos, joke about a picture that the children are being shown, creating funny dialogue for cartoons or photos.

Reading can be practiced as a pleasurable shared event instead of a personal activity. By using big book / projected electronic books, more students can take part in the enjoyable and educational reading process.